21:00 MST, Sunday, July 19th, 2048 CE | Arcadius City, Terentien Continent, Mars
"Mother, I told you that I have been selected for a purpose far greater than any human in history. You can't stop me from participating, in fact, they will ensure that you can't."
"But Ray, you don't know the dangers. What if you end up dead in some far off galaxy? If you leave again, we are likely to never see each other again."
"I am willing to take that risk, this is the perfect opportunity for myself. Yes, it is very risky, but that also makes it fun. Life isn't worth living if you aren't having fun, you've said so yourself many times."
"But Ray, think about school, all that you've worked for will be for nought. You spend so long studying to take the LSAT exam."
"Enough, mother, this is in no way your choice to make. I have made this choice, to become a contestant and represent humanity. It is not only for my own enjoyment. Taking up this responsibility is definitely the right and just thing to do. What if I would've declined? Imagine if some other human were to become administrator and they had a terrible worldview. They could inflict unimaginable suffering onto humanity. I will compete in this game, not just for myself, but for all of humanity."
My name is Rayleigh Inan. I am twenty one years old as of two weeks ago. I have been given the great honor of becoming a contestant in humanity's trial of ascension. I have been known by many names. The crazy girl who likes to take insane gambles. The eccentric genius that masters anything put before her. Lately, I have been known as the prodigious law student, top of my class at the top law school in the solar system. But now, I am Contestant Rayleigh Inan, one of the seven humans selected by the intergalactic community to represent humanity in its greatest trial yet. It just so happens, that this trial comes in the form of a game. A game that I hope comes with some risk, otherwise I might get bored.
My mother has recently been begging me not to become a contestant. Well, it's far too late now. Earlier today I underwent my fitting ceremony. I now possess a highly advanced piece of tech that is interwoven throughout my body. I also have a fancy new outfit. I like wearing it as a silver flightsuit like you would see in a mecha anime, it fits my platinum blonde hair quite nicely.
When I was selected to become a contestant, I was not in utter shock – like I might expect one of my old childhood friends to be – but I was still surprised. I have always known that I was among humanity's best, but to have it clearly laid out for the whole universe to see by impartial observers feels quite nice.
After that spat with my mother, I stormed out of our apartment. A quite modest 300 square meter flat in one of the two kilometer tall megascrapers that are signature of Martian cities. My MPAD named Duck quickly follows behind me into my Ae4-Uriel luxury cruiser. The onboard AI, which I have assigned the moniker Uri, quickly greets me.
"Welcome back Ms. Inan. Would you like me to prepare the ship for launch?"
"Thank you Uri, please prepare the ship for launch, destination: somewhere in the orbit of Europa. If you could, please delete this destination from a list of known residences, I will not be coming back anytime soon."
"Understood Ms. Inan, destination set for Europa, estimated arrival time, ten minutes. Your additional command has also been processed."
I have always wanted to go to Europa, I hear that watching Jupiter rise over the horizon is quite a sight to be seen. It should also be a good way to test out this kit, as without such a device the gravity would make it hard for a normal human to casually visit. With so much having happened in the past few days, It will also be a good time to unwind and relax before the trial itself starts.
Anyways, I can feel this is just the beginning of my journey. I think my old childhood friend would say something along the lines of 'bring it on' in this scenario. So, bring it on, universe.
End of Chapter 5
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this shorter chapter to give an insight into the viewpoint of another contestant. If you are enjoying the series, comments/reviews/recommendations are much appreciated. Once again, thank you, dear reader, for using your precious time to read my little novel.
Cathrix